Enriching faith and family

The King’s Mother

Once there lived a good and kindly king. He loved to shower his subjects with generosity and mercy. So much so in fact that he spent all of his day in the throne room so that subjects could approach him and he could listen to their needs. Often, the subjects brought gifts for the king – fine linens and prized animals, good crops and family treasures. Always, the king listened to each subject and, out of his great love for them, helped them. One day a very poor peasant had a petition vital to the life and needs of his family. Wishing to see the king, he gathered up his best apples from their small family tree and went to the castle. When he arrived, a long line was already passing out of the castle. The petitioners were carrying far greater gifts than his small basket of bruised and battered apples. The peasant, discouraged, left the line and sat down outside the castle walls. As he anguished there, a woman saw him from the other side of the wall. She kindly asked the peasant if she could help. He explained the plight of his family and also his despair in not being able to see the king. The woman smiled gently at him and took him into the castle garden. She took his small basket of apples from him, shined them, cut them up, removing all the bad parts, and displayed them neatly on a lovely plate. Then she bade the peasant follow her. The woman led the man in through a back door where the man was surprised to find him in the throne room with the king. The lovely woman placed her hand on the king’s shoulder, presented the apples to him, and said, “Son, this man is in need of your help.”

This is why I turn to Mary. She can present my needs to the Lord so much better than I can. She can urge his loving gaze toward me. She can grant the answers to many prayers through the goodness of her son. She can shower graces on us through Christ’s sacrifice.